Howdy all!
I have a friend who is looking into getting an '02 Forester, or possibly an '02 Impreza. He is going to be using them for mainly cruising around northern Michigan roads, and it is down to them and a CR-V. As I am the more usenet literate of either of us, it came to me to ask the questions. I'm a Jeep guy so please forgive me if I butcher some terms. :-)
Q: The Subaru AWD system seems alot better than the Hondas, but there are a couple things that are confusing. Subaru says it has 'symmetrical AWD'which would imply that it distributes power across axles as well as between axles (cool!). My question is how? I have done a couple hours of searching but the most I can get on Subaru AWD systems is a few years old. I have read that Subaru uses a viscous coupling for what I think of as its center diff, but what about across the axle itself? Does it use another VC? The ABS?
Q: Is the 2.5 litre engine an interference motor?
Q: Is there any advantage to getting the stick vs. the Auto? And does that change the AWD system?
Q: Any huge advantage to getting the Forester vs. the Impreza? (Other than the WRX which, try as I might, I wasn't able to talk him into).
Q: Is the VC center diff sensitive to tire pressure differences; i.e. if he doesn't keep his tires at similar pressures damage can result. I know that some of the earlier JGC's that used this had some problems along this line.
Q: Is the AWD system a full time variable split between the front and rear, or is it more of a reactive system with the power favoring one side, like the Hondas?
Thanks!
Jimbo
snipped-for-privacy@nozpamyahoo.com